The Price for Resurrection
by SouloftheButterfly
Summary: Tira learns to break free from Nightmare using the most powerful weapon of all time: love. EPILOGUE UP! Rated T for fun. TiraxRaphael
1. The Resurrection

SouloftheButterfly: I'm taking a break from Depression Child, the story I'm supposed to be working on. I'll get back to it after I finish this supposedly short story and a week-long vacation. Hope you enjoy this one!

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Calibur or any of its characters. No lawsuits please. I have no time for them. I don't really own anything here, question me if you like. The only things I own are probably the unfolding of the events. That's all.

**The Resurrection**

He stood before the tomb he had found a week ago on a quest to find the perfect servant. A servant that wouldn't cower in front of him with fear. A servant so loyal to him that he or she would obey every command he ordered. A servant that wouldn't try to run away from him.

All his servants before had been humans. Small humans, puny humans. Weak humans. But he was not a human anymore. He was not weak. He was powerful. He was the almighty Nightmare.

He had found the perfect solution to all his human servant problems. Instead of having a living thing to order around, he would have a dead thing. A dead one. One of the undead.

The tomb, featuring a crudely carved picture of a girl, glinted darkly in the morning light. The tombstone itself had an evil aura to it, giving out the message that this ghost was not one to be messed around with.

Nightmare smiled wickedly as he took out a metal chain that had a blood-red ruby dangling from it. He muttered a spell that he had found last night and twirled the gem over the tombstone.

After the enchantment had been placed on the tombstone, Nightmare put the chain away and watched as green mist started floating all over the place. With one, long, deafening scream, a spirit twisted itself out of the stone and formed the shape of a young women with deep, bottomless eyes, wild green hair, and purple lips.

As the fog evaporated into the cool night air, the colour in the woman darkened. She looked at her master once, then bowed low before him.

Still low before Nightmare, the girl spoke to him in a deep, taunting voice, "My name is Tira. You have called upon me to serve you. I accept your offer. Because you have given me a second chance in life, I owe everything to you. Your wish is my command; I am forever in your debt."

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SouloftheButterfly: Please review! 


	2. A Battle Between Two of a Kind

SouloftheButterfly: Here's the second, quite long, chapter. The first fight happens here. Enjoy! (Note to self: change second genre from none to romance!)

Note: Aisel Nedrossel is the name/kind of Tira's weapon. I did not put the specific name of her weapon since she could wield many different types of Aisel Nedrossel. Plus I don't have time to turn on my PS2 and look up the weapon that I actually wanted her to carry around for this fanfict… too busy.

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or any of its characters.

**A Battle Between Two of a Kind**

"Follow me." Nightmare led his new servant away from the graveyard. They walked through the dark, foreboding forest. He headed straight for an abnormally fat tree, Tira following a few steps behind him. In a few seconds, the two had vanished into Nightmare's realm, through the invisible barrier disguised as one of Mother Nature's own.

"Tira," Nightmare said, "this is the time in which you will spend the majority of your days in. Feel free to explore." With that, the emotionless creature melted away into the shadows.

Wheels were turning in Tira's mind as she took in the sights of the realm opposite to the one that she had spent her last life in.

Everything was new to her. She wandered up mountains of dark grey rocks, down slippery valleys of mud, through un-kept fields of dying grass, past abandoned farms, and into weapon shops, iron forges, locksmith shops, and other places of decorated evil.

Everything was new to her, except fighting. Her skills were of the highest class, her agility natural, her strength equal to the force of iron. Her hoop weapon was of the strongest steel with no need to be sharpened. She was unnaturally good. Unnaturally great.

"Hello, little girl." A shadow emerged from the darkness. "I mean no harm. My name is Raphael. What's yours?" he asked. His pale face was frighteningly handsome, with one eye sectioned off by a purple square.

"Little?" sneered Tira. "Maybe you'll change your judgment of me when you are defeated." Tira took out her silver hoop, inviting Raphael to fight.

"Very well," Raphael accepted as he produced a long, thin blade.

Tira spun her body up into the air, twirling Aisel Nedrossel as she went. She landed suddenly, on one foot, letting Aisel Nedrossel spin around her finger freely. The sharp edges nearly sliced Raphael's neck off, except that he blocked it at the last moment. Tira kicked up in one, swift motion and Raphael was sent flying to the ground.

"So you want to play rough," Raphael smiled coldly. "Then let's do it." His blade flew into the air, swift and quick, and he started a series of blows at Tira. She blocked and attacked at the same time, but Raphael suddenly changed tactics.

His shoulder-length blond hair whipped around him as he jumped up and twisted around in the air. He grabbed her by the shoulder and flipped her backwards, slicing his sword through the air at her as he did.

Tira managed to dodge the blow and swing through Aisel Nedrossel at the same time, locking Raphael's legs and tripping him over. Tira raised her leg in a high arch, with Raphael still attached to it, and smashed him into the mud.

"Nice," he said as he pulled himself back up. All of a sudden, he flipped behind Tira, caught hold of her, and flipped her down Judo-style. She bounced onto the hard dirt floor and then somersaulted back up, just in time for Raphael to injure her slightly on her shoulder.

"Damn you," she said in a lowered voice.

"I actually didn't want to fight anyone today," Raphael told Tira. "Let's just call this a tie and be done with it," he offered.

A glowering Tira glared at him.

"I'll…take that as a yes."

They started walking together to the village market. Raphael pointed out all the interesting things and Tira began to respond to him more often.

"So," Raphael began, "what _is_ your name?"

Silence, then – "Tira."

"Tira's a nice name," Raphael commented.

She scowled, but a while later she blushed, "Thanks."

They walked together for a while in silence.

"So…," Raphael began, "Why are you here? You're clearly a newcomer since I've never seen you before; I know mostly everyone around here."

"My master is Nightmare," Tira told him.

"Nightmare, eh?" Raphael confirmed. Tira nodded.

"Well, let's see… you're his…7th, possibly 8th servant," Raphael said randomly. "Listen," he suddenly confronted her, "don't ever tell Nightmare that you ever saw me, or even know me," he pleaded.

Tira looked surprised, but she just nodded her head in agreement.

"Ok then…well, see you tomorrow," he called out as he disappeared into the shadows. Tira waved back.

She wandered pointlessly around town for a little bit more, thinking about Raphael, feeling a feeling that she had never felt before.

When the endlessly grey sky grew even darker, Nightmare came back for her.

"Come," he said and Tira followed him into the darkness, vanishing from the view of the villages, entering the chill of her new home.

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SouloftheButterfly: Hope you liked my new twist in this story! If you think Raphael and Tira are an unlikely couple and don't like it, then guess what? You'll have to deal with it. I think it's sweet. 3rd chapter coming in a few days. Or minutes. Please review!!!! 


	3. Sorrow Finds a Home

SouloftheButterfly: Short chapter...enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur or any of its characters. Oh yeah, and I just wanted to add to the disclaimer on the first chapter: I not only own the unfolding of the events, but I also own some of the names of places and the places themselves. They come from my imagination. Notice that I said 'some'. So, yeah, this is an extension of my first disclaimer.

**Sorrow Finds a Home**

Nightmare allowed Tira out of the dimly-lighted castle to explore again the next day. Raphael met her that day as he had promised the day before. They walked through the whole of the evil realm, talking as they went, growing closer to each other as the minutes ticked by.

It took them a week of exploring to go to all 7 kingdoms in the realm. They went through the mountainous Iron City, where blizzards fall endlessly and the greatest iron welders reside; the Land of the Portals of Time, where portals are everywhere you see, leading you to different times in the world; the forest of Owlwood, where all the mysterious creatures of the unknown live; the kingdom of Drascus, capital of this realm and the main source of all technology; the Neverlife Spring, filled with water that makes you half alive and have the ability to (almost) never die; the Land of the Dead, the place where ghosts live in; and the Gypsy Valley, home of the legendary Mystic Elves and the Fallen Gypsies.

One day, the day that they reached the Land of the Dead, their last destination, Raphael turned to Tira and told her that he may have to go somewhere, far, far, away from this place, for a long time. Tira then did something she had never done before: she clung to Raphael and begged him not to go.

She was very surprised at herself for this reaction; so surprised that she nearly fell over. She could've killed herself for being so full of emotions, but she found that she actually was longing for him to stay.

"Someday," Raphael promised, "someday, we will see each other again." With that and a final, regretful glance, he turned and disappeared into the night.

The Black Moon of this realm was shining down on two people that had a special relationship just a few moments ago, but now it shone on a single girl that had lost the strange feeling she had felt before. Now that girl was feeling something different. Something we call…sorrow.

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SouloftheButterfly: Please review! 


	4. The Truth of Feelings

SouloftheButterfly: Sorry for the wait. But now here is the fourth chapter. Please review at the end, especially if you have some advice or suggestions for me. Thanks!!

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or any of its characters.

**The Truth of Feelings**

That night, Tira was sent to Nightmare's private room. All the remains of Raphael in her mind had been erased. Sorrow was no more; she does not house it anymore.

Tira bowed slightly before Nightmare. "Master," she said in a cold, obeying tone.

"Tira, I am going to send you on your first mission," Nightmare told her. Tira did nothing. "You are to go to Africa and kill this man by the name of Zasalamel. He has a weapon right now that is supposed to be in _my_ possession. Regain it and I'll reward you with a little prize," he ordered.

_Will he reward me back with Raphael? _The thought slipped into Tira's mind. She quickly brushed it away.

"You will set out tomorrow afternoon. Get some sleep now – you will need it later."

Tira nodded her head and returned to her own chamber.

The next morning, Tira slipped out of the castle and followed the trail to the Gypsy Valley. She approached a caravan and entered.

"Hello there," an old, crackly woman's voice said to her. Tira turned around quickly.

"Now there, I won't harm you," the elderly woman laughed. She sat at a red velvet clothed table with a ball of crystal in front of her. "Come over now."

Tira sat down at the stool in front of the table.

"The one you seek is Raphael, correct?" the old woman grinned. Tira didn't move.

"I can tell you the answer to the question you came here to ask," the gypsy stared into the crystal ball. "You are wondering, 'Why do I feel what I feel when I'm with him? And why do I long for him?' Well, the answer to that question is simple. You are in something we call love. It means that you enjoy each other's company and you feel even more at home with him than with other people that you still trust very much."

There was silence for a while, then Tira stood up and nodded to the fortuneteller, spinning towards the exit of the tent-like shelter.

It was time to go back to Nightmare's mansion and get started on the first mission of her second life.

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SouloftheButterfly: To make up for the wait of this chapter, I'll post up the next in a few minutes. Enjoy and please, please review! I like to know what people think of my work, even if it's just a small sentence. I am now accepting anonymous reviews, so lazy people can tell me what they think without having to log on. Thank you!!!! 


	5. The Clock Tower

SouloftheButterfly: As I have just promised, here is the 5th chapter. Thanks to 'The Grim Reeper' and 'Diamonds of the Night' for reviewing! I appreciate it a lot! Now, let's get on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or their characters.

**The Clock Tower**

"You will need a disguise, since Zasalamel will recognize you in your current outfit," Nightmare said. "Also, you will need it to blend yourself in with other people." He held out a dull yellow shirt that probably used to be a dress. The only problem with that article of clothing is the skirt part of it seems to have been shortened very much. Very, as in just barely covering the bottom half of her.

"Now, you may be wondering why I'm going to give you a reward," Nightmare continued. "That is because, even though you are a servant, I try to treat people with what they deserve."

_Him? Treat people with respect? _Tira thought, quickly turning away from it when she realized what she had just done. Tira promised herself that she would scold her mind afterwards.

"Also, I need that sword desperately," Nightmare continued. "Anyways, here is a portal," his hands waved around a bit and a dark hole opened up. "This will take you directly outside of Zasalamel's clock tower. Enter, defeat him, break his scythe, and find Soul Edge, the weapon you need to bet for me from him." He indicated for Tira to enter.

Her face totally obeying and emotionless, Tira stepped through the portal to the real world, straight into Central Africa.

Once through, she instantly started to scold herself, but then stopped.

_Why am I doing this?_ She thought. _I've never thought so much in an hour, compared to a year. I've actually thought more in these days than the whole of my first life. From now on, I won't think so much._

With that finalized, she turned around in a circle, looking for a clock tower. Nothing was here except for some elephants, bushes, a giant tree, and a whole lot of sand. There was a bit of mud here and there, but other than those things and her, there were no other signs of civilization.

The ugly yellow dress in her hands, Tira quickly found the biggest bush near her and she changed into the hideous garment.

Remembering how she had got to Nightmare's realm, Tira walked over; made sure nobody was looking, then stuck her hand through the tree. Her fingers didn't reach through to the other side of the trunk, so she knew it must be another magical tree.

Tira stepped through the tree and arrived face-to-door with the clock tower.

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SouloftheButterfly: I doubt that I'll be posting up anything again soon, so enjoy for now. And please, please, please, don't for get to review!!! Thanks!!!!! 


	6. A Bit of Information

SouloftheButterfly: Here's the 6th chapter. The story is almost over now; chapter 10 will probably be the last one (my best guess). Well, after this I'm going back to Depression Child. Alright, time for the story to start. Here you go!

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or any of their characters.

**A Bit of Information**

Tira stepped back a bit to take in her surroundings. After being aware of a trigger that will alarm Zasalamel that someone was coming, she started to enter the clock tower when someone called out to her.

She stopped and turned to face the woman that had told her to wait.

"Miss, miss, please stop, wait," huffed the old lady that was hobbling up to Tira as fast as her old legs could carry her.

Tira fixed the woman with an impatient face and the lady stopped a few feet away from her.

"Miss," the lady puffed, "there is evil in this… tower. An evil… man has taken… over our village in… the North. He… has a huge sword and a… big scythe that can kill all. May I ask… why you wish… to go into such a place?" the lady said, still trying to catch her breath from her short run.

Tira was about to kill the woman when she thought of how much information the woman knew. Realizing that she probably knew more, Tira asked her about the other sword.

"Oh, milady," the woman said, "that sword is called Soul Edge. It's the most powerful sword for evil that has ever been created. If you have that sword, miss, you would get whatever you wished for because no one would stand in your path of destruction."

Listening to the woman's words carefully, Tira thanked her and told her that she would be careful. Tira was finally about to enter the clock tower after the woman was gone, but a portal opened up behind her.

"Master," Tira bowed her head.

"Hurry up and get Soul Edge!" he snapped impatiently. Then, he suddenly looked nervous as he said, "Don't forget your reward!"

The portal closed as he said the last word of the strange conversation.

Finally, Tira managed to enter the tower without any more interruptions.

She found herself on a platform high above the ground. As she peered over the side of the landing, Tira saw nothing but total darkness. A sudden clanging took her back to reality as she swung out her weapon just as a large crank bounced towards her.

With a smooth strike of her hoop, the crank burst into pieces. Her guard up now, she looked around in the blackness for Zasalamel.

"Tira," a deep voice boomed out. "I've been expecting you."

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SouloftheButterfly: This chapter is really short, I know, but I promise you the next one will be longer! Please R&R (this means read and review for those who don't know). 


	7. Anger

SouloftheButterfly: Here is the long chapter that I promised you! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or their characters.

**Anger**

Tira twirled around to face a dark-skinned man with a bald head and a heavy robe. He had a golden monocle in one eye and he held a long scythe. A large necklace bounced around as he leapt off the lever that he had been riding on.

"Tira," he echoed. "Nightmare sent you, didn't he?"

No trace of emotion showed on Tira's face at all, forcing Zasalamel to continue talking.

"Now why would you fetch the weapon for him, little girl?" he sneered.

"Because I can," she replied calmly as she jumped into the air and twirled down onto her enemy, missing him by an inch as he quickly dodged her.

"But you probably know about Soul Edge's power," Zasalamel continued as he swung his scythe at Tira, who easily jumped over it. "Why would you take it, then give it to someone else? You know you can do much better that him with the powers of Soul Edge."

Tira hesitated, taking in what he just said, then flung her weapon out at Zasalamel. Jumping on it so it looked as if the hoop was carrying her, Tira leapt off at the last moment, changing its direction from his head to his shoulder. Blood spilled as the sharp edges sliced off a chunk of flesh from his muscular arm.

Trying to be patient with Tira, he let out a series of kicks as he said, "You know you want it. I believe you'll do better than Nightmare with it too."

Tira swept her weapon back and it began to flame with orange sparks. "Less taking. More fighting," she grinned as she let the hoop fly around her arm once, then let it out at Zasalamel.

"Alright, miss," he smiled slyly as he narrowly missed the strike. "We can talk afterwards, when I have you under my power."

"Never," Tira hissed as she began a selection of strikes at Zasalamel. He swung his scythe at her legs, but although she tried, Tira wasn't fast enough. It sliced a gaping wound just above her stomach and she winced in pain.

"Concentrate, Tira," Zasalamel's teeth gritted together as Tira managed to catch him in the chest with her foot. "I know you can do better than this."

But when it was clear Tira was slowly being drained of her strength and agility, Zasalamel stopped. He snatched Tira's weapon away from her and threw it onto a crank, where it hung uselessly on one of the ridges.

"Get up," Zasalamel ordered. Tira managed to stand up for a moment, but then quickly collapsed. Because of her determination, Tira managed to look up and meet Zasalamel's eyes.

"Have you wondered why you have just lost this fight?" he asked a stony face set on Tira. "Well, maybe because you are realizing that I'm right. You shouldn't have to come get the weapon for your master unless he's scared he can't prove himself."

Tira looked around for signs of a portal opening up and Nightmare popping out, but Zasalamel told her that the clock tower was completely sealed; the front door was the only way in and out.

"If you prove your courage against me in one last fight, then I'll give Soul Edge to you."

Tira forced herself to stand up again, her anger towards Nightmare slowly growing. _That idiot scaredy-cat!_ Tira thought fiercely. Zasalamel could see her boil, so he fed her thought by saying, "You know how he promised you a prize?"

Tira nodded slowly and her madness decreased as she thought of Raphael as her reward.

"Well, he was just setting it up in case you decide to turn on him," he said and her anger reached boiling point.

"He was never about to give you anything."

_How dare he lie to me!! _Tira screamed in her head, which helped her anger increase to a point that no one has ever experienced.

"I will kill you for the sword," she suddenly said to Zasalamel in a deadly voice," "but this is not for Nightmare," she spat as she said his name. "This is for ME!!!"

"Well, its high time you did something for yourself," Zasalamel backed away nervously, chuckling unsurely. He liked her anger towards Nightmare, but he didn't plan on Tira getting this boiled at him.

She stood up slowly, all bruises, cuts and wounds fading away as she did. The ugly costume transformed into her old, green one and her purple hair returned back to its original colour: a green-blue hue.

"You will DIE!" she shrieked as she charged, weaponless, at him.

"Damn!" he cursed as the wicked woman ran full-speed at him, knowing that she'll be taking him to his grave soon.

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SouloftheButterfly: There you go! I know it's kind of weird but I didn't know what else to write so I wrote a "Tira/anger-management" scene. Please tell me what you think! 


	8. Death Or Not

SouloftheButterfly: Phew! It's been long since I've posted, but I'm glad you all are sticking with me here! Alright, enough chitchat… here is chapter 8! (Almost done story; two more chapters!!)

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or any of their characters.

**Death…Or Not**

With flying speed, Tira took off towards Zasalamel.

Thinking quickly, the man swung quite a few attacks at her, but Tira dodged all of them, jumping the strikes no matter how high, never slowing down.

Yelling a thundering war cry that could've been made by a thousand men, Tira leapt off the edge of the platform and onto the crank that held her hoop.

But she didn't stop there. Legs still pumping quickly, she ran up another crank and flipped backwards off of it, landing just behind a bewildered Zasalamel who, just a few milliseconds ago, had been watching Tira's mad rush.

"Prepare," she snarled as she lifted her leg to kick Zasalamel off the edge and into his tomb.

Ducking her sharp strike, he teleported instantly to a spot beside her and swung his blade, the point heading towards Tira's stomach. She kicked him out of the way, but the blade was still in motion and it cut a deep wound just above her stomach. Slowly looking at her injury, Tira glanced back up with bright green eyes glittering with hate.

They both got up and started fighting hard. Zasalamel was huffing heavily, whilst Tira wasn't even panting at all. Despite the bloody orange mix from her body sloshing down in buckets, she had all her strength and skills back.

With a kick of her legs, Zasalamel's scythe flew off into the darkness and landed on a lever.

"Uh-oh," Zasalamel grunted as Tira smacked him in the face with her palm. A numb feeling spread across his face as he looked down to find the front of his robe splattered with blood.

A crank suddenly bounced out at the opponents and Tira whipped it into four sharp pieces. With stunning accuracy, she pinned a thigh, hand, wrist, and ankle onto the platform. Zasalamel screamed in pain as the metal sunk through his skin and erupted out of the other side, fastening him to the wooden ground.

"The more you struggle, the more pain for you," Tira cackled carelessly.

Zasalamel struggled a little more, then stopped.

"You can't move, can you?" Tira asked tauntingly. "So let me help you." She chopped off Zasalamel's ankle quickly.

Screaming as loud as Hell itself, Zasalamel closed his eyes as Tira sliced off his wrist and hand next.

"Damn you woman!" he squealed as Tira slowly slid her blade through the evil man's thigh that was pinned down. Now Zasalamel could move again, except he had lost two feet and two hands. Lying there, defeated, Zasalamel felt his body grow warn.

He lifted his head a bit to see that he was floating on a large, dark red pool of his own blood.

Tira approached the man again and he managed to raise the leg cut off from the ankle in a useless kick. An idea came to him and he kicked the other stump. Kick, kick. Kick, kick. Zasalamel suddenly bolted upwards and gave himself what he wanted: to be sitting.

"Thank you," Tira laughed, "and goodbye."

She put the hoop around Zasalamel so his head was in the middle. Then she violently slid the sharp blade backwards to the front, a foot on his chest.

Slowly, slowly, Tira managed to finally slice through Zasalamel's neck, his last screams making her giddy with pleasure. His head fell off and landed with a simple _thunk_ onto what was left of his lap.

Having been screaming just a while ago, before she had disabled his vocal chord, she decided that she had been annoyed with his shrilly shrieks.

Satisfied that his head was off, Tira kicked the body down to a position flat on the floor. Well, she thought she did.

Stepping back, Tira shook her head to clear her mind. Taking another look at Zasalamel's body, she thought to herself, _He is dead, he is dead. _

_He is dead, he is dead… or is he?

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SouloftheButterfly: Here's the short eighth chapter, but I promise the last two will be quite long since I have to end everything now. Please review!


	9. The Power of Soul Edge

SouloftheButterfly: Thanks for sticking with this story, everyone. I appreciate all those reviews that people gave. Here's the eighth chapter for all of you to enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or any of the characters.

**The Power of Soul Edge**

When Zasalamel's body had been kicked down, something transparent had stayed where he was killed.

Squeezing her eyes closed, she opened them to find that it wasn't an illusion. It was true. Zasalamel's ghost was there, his soul trapped in that floating object.

The ghost raised itself up, the spitting image of Zasalamel when he died, except less opaque.

"Well done, Tira," a deep, echoing voice came at her from all directions. His scythe flew up and floated next to Zasalamel's ghost.

"You deserve what you have earned for, not your master," he boomed. "I trust you will make good use of this sword."

As he said the last sentence, Zasalamel's scythe flashed bright orange, then Soul Edge appeared before Tira.

"Take it," Zasalamel's spirit ordered her.

As Tira grabbed the sword, Zasalamel's body disintegrated into the air. Tira said, "Thank you. I won't let you down."

"Good luck," the ghost said before fading away. Grinning, Zasalamel knew that Tira's greed for power would win against Nightmare's please. She would be unstoppable with Soul Edge, and when Nightmare steps in her way, she will knock him down like she did with Zasalamel. Then she will help him, Zasalamel, fulfill the promise he made to Nightmare a long time ago: "You will never touch this sword, whether I'm dead or alive." And now he won't.

Cackling silently, Zasalamel floated away to haunt the clock tower and perhaps destroy some people near the outside of the building. _Life is going to be very boring, _Zasalamel thought when he discovered that no one goes near his clock tower.

Meanwhile, Tira was trying out some powers of Soul Edge on quite a few cranks when she felt something pulling at her from within. A voice, hideous and sinister, whispered to her, urging her to let the power of Soul Edge soak into her.

Resisting the voice and the power once she realized how addicting it was, Tira found that she couldn't just let go of everything that she had recently earned.

"I… won't… give in!" she grunted as the small bit of Soul Edge's poison in her began spreading.

"Oh, does that mean you don't want to be evil?" the voice hissed, "Or, more importantly, that you're not evil already?"

Tira gasped at this thought that had unleashed a bit of her old memory, from back when she was a real, live person, not a resurrected one. Funny enough, one part of her memory consisted of a boy with blond hair and a muddy face. Tira recognized that vision as one from when she was very young, one of the earliest things that she could remember.

Suddenly, it all fit in. That boy had to be a younger version of Raphael. Tira began remembering more about that day that boy appeared; he was beckoning to her in a way she didn't understand. And now Tira knows what he meant. He wanted her to come to him. To follow him forever.

"He needs me," Tira listlessly whispered to herself. But her slip had cost her much: Soul Edge had already wrapped its power around her. Her memories were flushed away, but there was one thing that she remembered: He needed her. Raphael needed her.

When Tira glanced down at Soul Edge again, a circular orb on the sword suddenly flicked its lid open, revealing a deep, bloodshot eye with electricity crackling around it.

That was all it took for Tira to become Soul Edge's new servant. Even the thought that had made her lose the battle against Soul Edge had burst and disappeared.

Tira alone cannot break free from Soul Edge's power now, so she was doomed to the sword's evilness, unlike Zasalamel who had found a way to control a portion of the energy emitting from Soul Edge and channel it through himself to his own advantage.

Having become a walking, killing, monster machine, Tira had destroyed hundreds of villages, thousands of warriors who thought they could stop her, and millions of innocent people. But they didn't know how powerful this evil sword was, feeding off Tira's past and holding her present. It had wrapped its tendrils around her heart and wouldn't let go, leaving only one thing from within that could free her again. One thing that Soul Edge can't control. Love.

Tira razed whatever was in her way, leaving a huge path of total destruction all through Europe behind her. Soul Edge had her soul; she didn't own a mind to think or a heart to feel anymore.

After a few weeks, Tira had crashed her way from Africa, to South America, and over seas again to Japan. Havoc and panic surged through the Japanese when news of Tira coming to Tokyo spread. Well, not news of Tira, but reports of Soul Edge and its new wielder.

"Um… evil… wielder, ah, please take your terror away from this… lovely, um, country of Japan," the mayor of Tokyo announced over a huge megaphone as Tira approached the shores, hoping to make peace with her before she arrived.

"It's not that easy, sucker," Tira hissed, laughter growling deep within her belly.

_Go, _Soul Edge whispered to her, _Go and feed on the hatred and fear of the people!_

Tira's hair flew up and eyes glowed. She will obtain total world domination. She will!

The second she raised Soul Edge and a black cloud started to form, all the people ran away, too scared to stand their ground anymore.

"Aww," Tira smirked, "puny little weaklings."

The mayor and his bodyguards took one look at Soul Edge and began to flee for their lives.

Suddenly, a young man with long blond hair tied into a low ponytail caught Tira's eye. He, unlike all the others, wasn't running away. His neat, white blouse was loosely tucked into perfectly ironed pants. But it was his powerful gaze that made Tira, against Soul Edge's wishes, stop the destructive cloud that she had been creating just a moment ago.

His deep, sorrowful eyes seemed to look for comfort from Tira. When their eyes met, the emotion and power that the man had kept inside of him poured into her, making Soul Edge's grasp on her soul loosen a bit in one corner of her heart, the part that mattered. The part that had released the old memories. The part that'll free her now.

A bond appeared between the two as they both began realizing who the other person was. The man took a step forward and Tira floated down onto the ground.

Soul Edge's grip on her suddenly tightened and Tira lost the connection between her and… and… _Raphael._

The name repeated itself over and over again in her mind. Her lips formed his name and he came close to her, hugging her into an emotional embrace.

His name had been the key, the thing that got her to the top of the lake she had been drowning in. But she only got a few deep breaths before the invisible dark force pulled her back under again, back down to the hellhole where she'd started off in.

Raphael, sensing that he had lost Tira again to Soul Edge, backed away. But then he knew what had to be done, and he reached for Tira again, to help her escape forever, to give her much needed support, something she had never received before.

It was then that the destruction-crazed Tira came back, after a battle that Soul Edge had temporarily won.

Tira whipped out Soul Edge and raised it, point down, aiming it at Raphael as she floated higher off the ground. But instead of running away or defending himself, he did nothing but just continued to hold on to her.

With Soul Edge urging her on, she descended the blade quickly onto Raphael. When she pulled it out again for another strike, she saw that Raphael's arm had been torn halfway off his shoulder. But he still clung onto her, as if she was the most precious thing in the world and he couldn't let go.

This time, when she advanced the blade on him for yet another strike, she felt more reluctant to let it hit him. The blade dropped down, but it didn't hurt Raphael. Instead the blade had frozen in mid-air, poised a few millimeters over him.

With inner strength summoned from within, she pushed the blade aside and let it fall to he ground.

_NO!!!!_ Soul Edge cried out silently as a fragment of the sword broke off when it fell on the floor. Raphael leaned over and popped the piece into his pocket so Soul Edge would be disabled from now on until the piece was returned.

Because part of Soul Edge was gone, part of his power was separated away from it and it had dropped its grip on Tira.

Exhausted, Tira collapsed into Raphael's arms as a portal opened and out stepped Nightmare.

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SouloftheButterfly: Well there you have it people. Chapter 9 is completed. Please review!! Chapter 10 may not be up for a while since I'm trying to figure something out. And just another reminder: someone will show up, different from the cast so far. So please look out for possibly the last chapter of this story!! Thanks!! 


	10. The Price for Resurrection

SouloftheButterfly: Well, the final chapter is finally up!!! I know I promised October and now it's February. So I'm really sorry for those who waited for this chapter. Hope you'll accept my apology!! I hope this chapter will be what you hoped for. If not…I can post an alternate ending… if I ever get to writing one. :) Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I don't own SC or any of the characters.

**The Price for Resurrection**

"What happened here!?" Nightmare growled as he surveyed the site. His eyes searched around him and rested on Tira, in Raphael's arms. He spun around and grabbed Soul Edge, unaware that the evil sword's power wasn't as strong because it was incomplete.

He turned his gaze to the two once more. His eyes, dark and bottomless, bore into Tira's.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he yelled. "What are you doing here?" he pointed to Raphael. Tira turned her head slowly to see Raphael's face.

Tears and mud stains streaked across his face, Raphael put Tira down gently, and then stood up straight, brushed himself off, and walked towards Nightmare.

"I believe, old master, that we have a score to settle," Raphael stared.

"Phaugh!" Nightmare spat. "You were the most worthless servant I have ever had. My first time was a mistake. But I've learnt from it. I know not to pick those who care whether or not they are free anymore."

"However you try to regret that, I will never forget the fact that you have sent every servant you ever had to fetch Soul Edge," Raphael shot back. "You banished all thoughts of people I had loved and cared about before. Because of that, they have all turned on me. And I will make you pay!"

"You're… not getting… into this fight… without me," Tira heaved herself off the ground and staggered towards Raphael, only to fall to her knees again.

"Tira, no!" Raphael cried out.

"Ha. Your girlfriend here is too weak to help you out. Without her, you're as good as dead," Nightmare laughed.

"Not if I can help it." Everyone turned to the female voice. A girl strode, full of purpose, to Raphael and Nightmare. Her head was lowered slightly to face the ground, but her eyes glistened as she stared up at the two. Her curly red hair bounced around solemnly in pigtails as she swung her arms forcefully with each step.

"Oh my god," Raphael breathed in. "No."

"What!?" Nightmare growled. "Who is she? Why is she here?"

The defiant girl walked up to Nightmare. "You, mister, do not want to mess with him. Or you'll have to mess with me," she snarled.

Raphael spoke quietly. "Amy. Don't."

"Dad." Amy looked at him once, a face full of promise and determination.

"I don't want to loose you," Raphael said softly.

"Don't worry, I'm good at this. You've got to learn to trust me now," Amy said, turning back to Nightmare.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I can't," Raphael gritted his teeth together.

"If you're gonna die, at least let me die with you," Amy said quietly, her voice hard with concern. Without another word, she joined her foster father to battle side by side against Nightmare for revenge.

"Enough!" Nightmare roared. "This ends now for you, Raphael Sorel! As for your daughter," he grinned menacingly, "I'll just kill two birds with one stone."

With that, he charged head on against Raphael and Amy, two twin English Rapiers shining in the sunlight.

"No, Nightmare," Raphael grimaced, "you're the one who's going down." He and Amy, perfectly in sync, spun and crossed their swords, blocking Nightmare's heavy attack with Soul Edge.

"Hah," Nightmare hissed out as he spun around with the momentum of his first attack to hit Raphael's torn shoulder.

"AHH!" Raphael screamed in pain.

"Oh now things are gonna get bad for you!" Amy growled. Starting into a series of attacks, she cut and slashed her way through. When she figured that she had given Raphael enough time to recover slightly, she let Nightmare butt her in the arm with the hilt of Soul Edge and took the opportunity to stumble down next to her foster father.

"Ha! How sweet, for you to die together," Nightmare snarled.

Clutching his wound, Raphael stood up slowly, staring at Nightmare menacingly as Amy helped him up.

"Father and daughter---," Raphael began.

"---fight side by side!" finished Amy.

Together, the pair fought back and forth until they had pushed Nightmare up a cliff. Nightmare looked back for a second and realized how close he was to falling to his doom. When the jagged rocks and the rushing sea started looming closer every second, he turned back around to face the happy family. A plan formed in his mind, giving him a chance to escape if he had to.

When he turned his attention back to Raphael and Amy, he found that they were kneeling on the floor close together, their flashing twin rapiers nowhere to be seen.

"Ha," Nightmare roared. "You'll have a chance to do that in hell!" With a very slight uncertainty (something about their stance made him uncomfortable), he raised his heavy sword, prepared to swing at them, but not prepared for what came next.

"Don't you wish you had a family?" Raphael asked quietly, his head down and loose hair covering his eyes.

"Someone you could go to whenever you need help?" Amy continued, in the same pose as Raphael.

"A friend?"

"A pet?"

"Someone you could…love?" whispered Raphael.

For a second, the cold wall around Nightmare's inhumane heart blinked off, but it was enough to know that, deep down, Nightmare didn't really want to start of this way.

"Never! I don't need anyone!" Nightmare spat out. "And now you're going to die!"

Amy and her father whipped out their swords, prepared to defend themselves.

As Nightmare leapt in to the air for the final strike and to say to Amy and Raphael their final words, something tripped him and he went crashing into the ground. He looked at his ankle, which was encircled by a gleaming metal hoop.

He looked up and there was Tira, standing fully healed and ready to fight her way to victory. Nightmare had to look away as the bright setting sun flashed behind Tira's back.

"Tira?" Raphael said.

"Don't worry," she grinned slightly. "We can do this."

Tira grabbed her hoop and twisted it out of Nightmare's ankle. She flung it around like a boomerang and it grabbed Soul Edge as it came back to her.

"Catch!" she called out as she threw the evil sword at Amy and Raphael. Leaping down beside them, she completed the semi-circle around Nightmare, still struggling to get off the ground.

Raphael found the chipped off piece of Soul Edge in his pocket and fixed it to the sword. Soul Edge began to heal its wound and power up to its full strength.

"You do the honors," Raphael said as he offered the sword to Tira.

"No," she said firmly, "we all will."

Tira placed a hand on the hilt of Soul Edge and Amy did the same.

Together, they lifted the sword, ready to finally rid the world of the evil, inhumane man.

"So long, Nightmare," Raphael said through gritted teeth. "Time to pay the price for resurrection!!!!"

With that, the trio let the sword plunge through Nightmare's heart.

A brilliant flash wrapped around them, and, when the smoke and debris in the air cleared away, the threesome saw that there was nothing left.

* * *

SouloftheButterfly: Well there you have it people!!! Finally the story is finished!! Hope you loved it and none of you were disappointed. Pretty-please-with-sugar-and-cream-on-top REVIEW!!!! I'd love to know what everyone thought of my first complete story!! Please stick around…I've decided to post an Epilogue soon!!

PS…I think I made Nightmare say "Ha!" too many times…O.o


	11. Epilogue

SouloftheButterfly: Here it is finally: the epilogue! Yippee! The story is THIS close to being finished! About the reviews: thanks to everyone who reviewed. From what you guys wrote, I obviously didn't do the best job of an ending, even though one or two people liked it. But it's ok because this shows me just what I need to work on. _Endings, endings, endings, ARGH!_ Anyways, thank you for sticking with this story to the end! And now, without further delay…the epilogue.

Disclaimer: For the last time (at least for this story), I don't own SC or any of the characters!

**Epilogue**

Raphael groaned and his eyes blinked open. _What…!_, he thought as he observed his surroundings. Then it all came back to him. Nightmare. Soul Edge. The fight. Everything.

He sat up and looked around, wincing because his wound still hurt from when Tira had struck him. He saw Amy, sitting on the edge of the cliff with her legs dangling, watching the sunset. 

Staggering to his feet, he thought about calling to his daughter, but instead limped over to her. 

"Scoot over," he said and Amy made some room for him. They sat, watching the sun dip lower into the ocean and blackness take over the sky. 

"It's beautiful," Amy whispered. 

"Yeah," Raphael agreed. They sat in silence for a long time. 

"Do you think he's still alive?" a female voice sounded behind them. 

"I don't know," Raphael said slowly. "I don't know."

"The swords are gone and he's gone," Tira pointed out.

"True," Amy said, "but it doesn't mean he's not dead. It doesn't tell us anything. Nothing at all." 

They remained there in silence until the moon had come out and the stars were twinkling in the sky. Then…

"Dad, I'm hungry."

"OK Amy. Let's get something to eat and a place to stay in tonight." 

The two rose up, silent as shadows and walked soundlessly towards the village. But in their quest for nourishment and rest, they had forgotten something. Or rather, someone.

Tira, the night breeze whistling through her hair, watched them go. She longed to stay with them, but unfortunately, she had some greater things to take care of. 

"Goodbye, Raphael Sorel," she spoke quietly into the silent night. "We will meet again one day." A cloud passed by the moon, plunging the Tokyo area into darkness. When the moon shone through again, she was gone. 

* * *

SouloftheButterfly: Well, that's it people! The Price for Resurrection is finally done! I hope you all enjoyed this story. The ending for the epilogue was not what I originally planned (I had actually wanted to write a "…and they lived happily ever after" kind of ending with Raphael and Tira) but I think this might suit the story better. I'd like to thank everyone for R&Ring this story and giving me their honest inputs (I think most of them are honest…I hope). So…yeah. That's about it. 


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